The mission of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) as a nationally and internationally active research institute is to deliver solutions for an ecologically, economically and socially sustainable agriculture – together with society. ZALF is a member of the Leibniz Association and is located in Müncheberg (approx. 35 minutes by regional train from Berlin-Lichtenberg). It also maintains a research station with further locations in Dedelow and Paulinenaue.

The research group “Farm Economics and Ecosystem Services” is a team of dedicated postdocs and PhD students who want to make a difference through good science, mutual support and exchange with other disciplines and practitioners. We are offering a PhD position within the Horizon Europe-funded BUTTERFLY project, which aims to fill critical knowledge gaps about the economic and ecological roles of pollinators and develop tools to better understand and protect these vital species. The project integrates pollination into existing bio-economic and Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) models to assess the impact of pollinator loss on farm profitability and the economy. The PhD will specifically focus on assessing the economic 'butterfly effects' of pollinators. This entails developing a two-way linkage between existing CGE models and bio-economic farm models to quantify the direct and indirect economic consequences of pollinator loss, particularly within the agricultural sector, while also exploring cascading impacts across the broader economy.

We are offering a temporary part-time position (65% of regular weekly working hours) subject to funding for 3 years, with the earliest starting date being March 2025 at our location in Müncheberg, as

• develop and refine a CGE model to assess the economic consequences of pollinator decline in different European countries, including impacts on agriculture, forestry, bioenergy, and biomaterials sectors
•   simulate direct agricultural impacts of pollinator shocks, including changes in crop yields, production costs, and agricultural prices, using the CGE model
•   quantify indirect economic effects of pollinator loss, such as impacts on employment, consumer purchasing power, and sectoral interdependencies within the broader macroeconomy
•   utilize the SWOT method to develop long-term strategic plans for pollinator conservation, focusing on the economic and ecological sustainability of pollination services and their impacts on agricultural systems

This PhD position is carried out in collaboration with the Doctoral Programme in Agricultural and Forestry Research at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), Spain, under the research line of "Integrated Economic Modelling for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Development”.

•   a master's degree in agricultural or environmental economics, applied mathematics, or a related field
•   good background in CGE, bio-economic modelling, and optimization techniques
• experience with mathematical programming in GAMS for model development
•   excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams
•   strong interest in scientific writing and excellent command of English

• an interdisciplinary working environment that encourages independence and self-reliance
•   a collegial and open-minded working atmosphere in a dynamic research institution
•   institutional commitment to a good work-life balance
•   classification according to the collective agreement of the federal states (TV-L) up to E13 (including special annual payment)

Women are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications from severely disabled persons with equal qualifications are favored. The filling of the position in part-time is possible in principle. Please send your application preferably online (see button online application below). For e-mail applications, create a PDF document (one PDF file, max. 5 MB; packed PDF documents, archive files like zip, rar etc. Word documents cannot be processed and therefore cannot be considered!) with the usual documents, in particular CV, proof of qualification and certificates, stating the reference number 102-2024 until January 5th, 2025 to (see button e-mail application below).

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:Dr. Seyed-Ali Hosseini-Yekani, Hosseini@zalf.deDr. Peter Zander, Peter.Zander@zalf.deFor cost reasons, application documents or extensive publications can only be returned if an adequately stamped envelope is attached. If you apply, we collect and process your personal data in accordance with Articles 5 and 6 of the EU GDPR only for the processing of your application and for purposes that result from possible future employment with the ZALF. Your data will be deleted after six months.